Pink and Undecided

Are you struggling to find safe, good quality skin care products with affordable price tags? I know these days we all strive to have that glowing, beautiful skin-sometimes people would pretty much do whatever it takes for an instant result. Misinformed ones would even resort to using unsafe skin care products with no proper certification just because they're swayed by the seller's heavenly promises. Well, i am making it my mission to help y'all find safe, high quality beauty products which wouldn't break your bank-and i have one to recommend to you today!

First of all, let me tell you a little bit about Zia Skin Care. It is a local brand that produces halal and natural skin care products. The ingredients they use in their skin cares are active ingredients that help to reduce skin problems naturally. All of Zia Skin Care products are already registered in BPOM so we can rest assured that they are all safe to use daily (all of their BPOM registration numbers are printed in the containers so you can check them in BPOM's website). Since their products are made from natural ingredients, Zia Skin Care are even safe to be used by pregnant women and teenagers (ofc, i would suggest you consult with your gynaecologist, to be on the safer side).

Zia Skin Care has three different lines : acne series, whitening series and normal skin series. I personally had quite a struggle choosing the line to get for myself because i have oily skin-normally people with oily skin would be quite acne prone, but i am not-so i didn't think the acne line would be good for my skin. Then i also am not interested in whitening (since i am already as pale as the wall *LOL*) so i ended up picking up the Normal Skin series and praying to God for it to work (FYI, it does haha).

Anyway if you have oily/dry skin and not sure which variant to go for, i would suggest you to consult with their customer service to help you determine the right products for your skin's needs.

With identical cap which you need to push down to open. This mechanism works fine for the milk cleanser and facial wash, i have no problem squeezing out the correct amount of product to use, but the toner is a bit problematic for me. Since toner is in liquid form, the opening is way too big for it that i ended up spilling too much of it every time *sigh*. I do hope Zia might consider replacing the cap with the traditional twist off with small opening hole in the future

Zia Skin Care Milk Cleanser

I am no stranger to milk cleansers, it used to be the only cleanser type that i use to remove my makeup before i started to use cleansing oil or cleansing gel. Zia Skin Care's Milk Cleanser for Normal Skin looks and feels like most traditional milk cleanser-it's opaque white, rich and creamy in consistency. The thick lotion melts my makeup nicely when massaged to my skin-ofc you need to avoid eye area and use separate eye makeup remover for that (i do this with all types of cleansers though).

It does work nicely to remove my makeup, but like all traditional milk cleansers-when i wear heavier makeup (using foundation and TWC) i would definitely need to use the cleanser twice to make sure every trace of makeup is gone. It feels lovely to my skin, moisturizing and gentle-without leaving too much stickiness or greasiness on my skin. I always triple cleanse so i would always wash my face with facial wash afterwards (i would highly recommend doing this whenever you're wearing makeups), but if you choose not to then it doesn't feel crazily sticky or greasy either.

This milk cleanser works nicely for me, i am not much of a milk cleanser kind of person (because of my skin type, i like cleansing oil/gel better) but for people with normal or dry skin, i would highly recommend this milk cleanser since it works well but still leave your skin moisturized and not stripped.

Zia Skin Care Facial Wash for Normal Skin (100ml)

Zia Skin Care Facial Wash for Normal Skin is pearly white in color and it is quite runny

It doesn't lather much-which is not a bad thing since we all know most lather creator contains a lot of detergent that is not good for your skin, it does took a while to get used to and i tend to use quite a lot to make me feel like i am using enough to cleanse my face

The facial wash is pretty good too, it totally cleanse my skin off any dirt and oil, leaving my skin feels super clean and refreshed. I do feel a teeny tiny feeling of that stretched, sparkling clean feeling after usage-but i always continue with the toner and day cream, problem solved. I would definitely not suggest you to only wash your face then go to bed, that's a no no (just slightly better than not washing your face at all, actually)-you need to always follow your cleansing routine with a proper toning and moisturizing steps.

Zia Skin Care Toner for Normal Skin (100ml)

The toner looks and feels like water, only slightly thicker. It is completely transparent

As you can see from the ingredient list, Ethyl Alcohol is listed pretty high on the ingredient list-so if you are sensitive to alcohol you might want to pay attention to that. My skin is normally not that senstive, but on the first few usage of this toner, i did experience tender feeling. It's not exactly stinging sensation or anything, but it did make my skin feels a bit tender and i that never happened to me before. Since it was nothing major (and i didn't suffer from any other side effects) i decided to continue using it, after a while my skin get used to it or something so i no longer feel the tenderness anymore.

Zia Skin Care Toner for Normal Skin is a pretty good toner, it does its job-make sure no trace of makeup is left (although we all know that's not really what toner is supposed to be doing) and prepping my skin for moisturizing step.

Zia Skin Care Day Cream for Normal Skin (10gr)

The Day Cream comes in a square cardboard box

It doesn't say anything about SPF but it does state that it contains sun screen

Ingredient list

The Day Cream comes in a round white plastic jar with pink cap

There's also an inner cap to prevent your cream from spilling everywhere and making a mess

The Day Cream is slightly yellowish, has a scent that reminds me of dermatologists' creams (which means it's probably the ingredient's scent, i don't sense any added perfume)

Texture of the day cream is pretty thick, i only need to use a little bit for my entire face and it does require a bit of work to blend it in due to its texture. It does feel a little heavy, and it makes my face super oily in a couple of hours (again i must remind you that i have very oily skin in the first place so if you have normal skin then i don't think it'd be that oily for you)-but it totally moisturizes my skin really really well and only after a short time of using it i feel that my skin feels a lot suppler than usual.

I've been using Zia skin care for about two weeks now and i can sincerely say that i like it! My skin is not very sensitive but its known to repel skin cares (i have no problem with makeups, but some skin cares would be too rich for me and i'd develop white heads all over my skin) and it didn't happen with Zia Skin Care. I did not suffer any break out and i feel they really make my skin more moisturized and supple. I would definitely recommend Zia Skin Care's products, they are lovely, affordable and they work (well, on my skin. You know when it comes to skin care it's all about hit and miss, what works on one skin might not work for others-and vice versa).

If i have any criticism that would be... Why is there no Night Cream for the Normal Series? I am a big believer that no matter what your skin type is (even if it's super oily like mine) you still need the right moisturizer to use every morning and night. I use my own night cream during my time trying out Zia Skin Care.

Like i mentioned earlier, other than the Normal Skin series that i already talked in great detail about, Zia Skin Care also have different lines :

Zia Skin Care Whitening Series

Zia Skin Care Acne Series

Btw, Zia is currently having a photography contest in Instagram! Show them you healthy skin using Zia Skin Care or take a pic of your favorite Zia products, tag @ziaskincare and use #ZiaSkinCare #BeautyForEveryone and #ZiaPhotographyContest. Don't forget to follow their account first! The grand prize is worth up to IDR 2mill!

Zia Skin Care tagline is #BeautyForEveryone, and their mission is to provide quality products with affordable prices (their price range is IDR 25.000-70.000 only!) so that everybody can have access to have naturally healthy skin. A cause close to my own heart! Now you don't have any excuse to use those scary, unsafe products with dodgy pictures circulating on the web!

Hi guys!! #Undecided here hahaha... I know wtf, right... I haven't written anything in forever it's crazy. But today I'm back with a good one!!

So I have been a mother for almost 11 months now and
even though I love my baby wholeheartedly, I got some confessions to make:

1/ being a stay at home mom is the most tiring
thing in the world.

I cannot do it. I know I said that I wanted to quit
my job and raise Zoe myself, but now I’m SO relieved that I didn’t!! The first
few months, during my maternity leave, I was home full time, and for lack of a
better word, I found it very tedious. Not that I found my baby tedious wtf, no.
It’s the routine of taking care of her that’s tedious. And even if common sense
is highly required, but taking care of a baby is mostly... muscle memory. It
was difficult at first, but with time, your muscle gets better at it. Bathing,
feeding, changing diapers, they’re not rocket science. You don’t need to be
super smart to do em.

2/ i boast about my baby TOO.

Le sigh. I know. When I was preggers I noticed more
and more about other moms. Probably thinking that it was a new territory I was
about to chart myself into, so best be acquainted. And boy, mothers boast about
their babies a lot. And it annoyed me. I mean, oh your baby learnt how to roll
over now? Good for her, but tell me why would I need this information again? LOL.
I know, I’m the biggest bitch :D

But the day Zoe rolled over on her own, I couldn’t
help myself to tell EVERYONE I KNOW, take pictures and broadcast to the world.
LOL. I became them, those boasting mother. I realized that, even if it’s not my
own achievement, I am very proud of my daughter and now I understand how other
moms feel! #slapsself

However, knowing BOTH parties now, I shall try and
boast to other moms only (this isn’t including my bitches – you guys are stuck
with stories about Zoe!!). They’re the ones that care about babies rolling over
anyways hahaha...

3/ babies can be annoying as hell.

Look at this face -_____-

I’ll be the first of the bunch to raise my hand if
someone asks, “who here have been extremely pissed off at their baby?” Here.
Raising my hand high. Me. Me. Me.

I love Zoe very much. She brings me so much joy just
by smiling at me, but she can equally angers me terribly when she’s sick and
it’s 3am in the morning and keeps on screaming bloody murder and wanting to be
rotated between me, nanny #1, nanny #2, and papa. I mean, come on, baby. We got
you. You’re being rocked back to sleep – a luxury provided only when you’re
sick. Take it with gratitude, will ya?

I know I know... She is sick, she’s uncomfortable
and feeling all kinds of shit, I must be more understanding. Sure... But when
it’s 3am and you’re tired from work and needing sleep so bad so you can
function in the morning, suddenly I cannot be too understanding and I end up
disliking my baby with passion at that moment. LOL. Sorry ah baby, mama will
try harder next time.

4/ i need my me time.

To, you know, keep me sane. LOL. I used to feel so
guilty about leaving Zoe to do my thing. Even if nanny was around, whenever I
was home I would try to be her #1 caretaker, and I found myself unhappy and
would immediately sulk whenever Zoe was being a tiny bit annoying... Then I
realized that my foul mood was due to the fact that I was always tired. So I
asked myself, am I a poop cleaner or do I want to be a generally happy person
around my baby? The answer is obviously the later, which is why nanny/helpers
are highly valued in our household.

Besides, an hour massage session while le baby is
asleep will only do you good! Go for it!!

5/ dreading Ramadan holidays.

That’s when our helpers go back home to spend times
with their families. Sigh. I know I have only spent ONE holiday with Zoe and had plenty of help from hubby’s family that visited and also from
my mom, but at that time Zoe was just a tiny obliging baby. Next Ramadan she’ll
be a walking tot.

Even now she prefers standing up and "walking" which means she would waddle around with someone hunching while holding her hands.

Getting cheeky this one.

Goodness me. I’m too old to be running around after her.
*wipes forehead

And I also found that:

1/ every baby is different with different needs.

Come on, other mommies. Enough with the unwanted
advices, please! Okay so your baby is a few months older than mine, doesn’t
mean you are now a bexpert (baby expert, wtf yes I just made that up. Hey,
there’s such a thing as sexpert, why not bexpert, right?!). If I want your two
cents, I will ask for it. If not, just... errr... shush? LOL.

Besides, I know my baby best and I have unlimited
access to Google. I’m good. Thanks!

2/ Grandparents with multiple grandkids can be the
ultimate pain in the arse.

Enough with the comparisons okay... My baby is the
best for me and sure, my SIL’s baby is the best for her and THAT’S OKAY!! They
are not running for Baby of The Year. Just love them equally so growing up they
don’t feel the need to be superior towards one another which believe me, will
save us from unpleasant siblings’ rivalry in the long run. Seriously Asian
parents/grandparents are the worst LOL.

Glad I got those out of my chest!! LOL. I actually
pondered if I should post this or not, you know, backlash, repercussions, the
whatnots... But then I came to my senses and remembered that I don’t give a
shish what people think of me LOL. And no, all of these, they don’t make me a
bad mom (I know that now!). They make me a human being – which I am first and foremost for the
first 32 years of my life so it is a okay!

At the end of the day, Zoe knows that I love her and I will make sure to continue reminding her that...

Anyone here share the same feelings as mine? Would be
glad to read your experiences!

I gotta be honest that i haven't heard much about this brand before so i did a bit of research and nosey around their official website. It looks like the brand is from our neighboring country, Malaysia (but the products are formulated in France) and they are already registered to BPOM. All of their products are clinically proven, made from natural ingredients, also they're paraben and SLS free.

Thanks to Senzues Indonesia and Clozette Indonesia, i got the chance to try out this Hydra Cool body lotion ^^.

Been loving and using this product ever since it arrived in my place!

Let's talk packaging first!

Senzues Hydra Cool Body Lotion comes in a simple white squeeze tube-this is the packaging for the 60ml variant, they are also available in 200ml (which has the most unique packaging out of the three) and 350ml

All the information on the product can be found at the back of the tube

Ingredient list

Comes with the normal flip cap that is very common for this type of packaging, the flip cap closes securely (some flip caps can be quite flimsy and difficult to close back after a while) but without giving me any difficulties to open

When i first opened the tube, the first thing that i did was sniffed it hehe, i was very happy when i found that Senzues Hydra Cool Body Lotion has a super fresh, pleasant scent that is not overpowering. It doesn't matter how good a body lotion is, when the scent throw me off it'd be very hard for me to love the product. As for Senzues, it was love at the first sniff *LOL*

The texture of the body lotion is quite unique and different from most other body lotions that i used before, it is white, semi opaque and has more of a gel consistency. It gives a very pleasant (especially during hot and humid days, which we have plenty here in S.E.A) cooling sensation upon contact with my skin. The cooling sensation is definitely prominent, but it's not so strong that it can inflict any discomfort or sensitivity.

The body lotion glides like a cool dream on my skin, it absorbs very fast into my skin-leaving it silky smooth and supple. The silky feeling is not fleeting either, it lasts the whole day and i just love love love both how Senzues Hydra Cool body lotion feels on my skin and how it makes my skin feels! It surprised me when i realized that it contains SPF, at last!!! A body lotion with SPF that doesn't make my skin feels sticky and greasy!!! It's a dream come true for me!

I'm not sure about the price, but with the information i found online i think it's over IDR 100k. I know it's not the cheapest body lotion around (for only 60ml, i think the bigger sizes' prices are better though) but for such a high quality, i genuinely believe it's worth every penny.

Now, it's clear to see that i am a big fan of this product (you know i always keep it real, i won't say i love it if i don't, it never matters whether i am sponsored or not), let's learn more about it!

I must tell you that i have normal skin and this product is a perfect match for my skin. Although it claims to suit all skin types, i can't comment on how it'd perform in very dry or sensitive skin-i'm not sure if it's going to be moisturizing enough for that skin type, but fret not, there are 5 variants available to cater for different skin needs

The only thing i don't love about this product? Is the fact that i love it so much and it absorbs so fast into my skin, i tend to use quite a lot in one go-which means 60ml will be gone in no time *LOL*. Would i purchase this product with my own money? Actually i would, i'd go for the biggest size to save money tho #kiasu !

You can order Senzues directly from them and get your products sent to your place, you don't even need to leave your room *LOL*.

For more information, you can go to www.senzues.com and also follow their social medias :

Wow it's December @.@ i have such a mixed feeling about this. On one hand i am excited that the holiday season's here and we're counting down to our winter holiday (which CL does literally. She even downloaded an app to countdown the days -___-) but on the other hand i don't feel ready to let go of 2016 yet. My God, it feels like it's just getting started -___-.

Anyhoo. Better get on with the post already.

As you might already know, last Thursday i attended two events back to back, and this is the earlier event : Beau Tea Time with Azarine Spa & Cosmetics.

With other bloggers, vloggers and influencers ^^

Before we begin, i must tell you that (sadly) the stunning photos in this blog post is not taken by yours truly (really, my photography skill has not increase so spectacularly overnight *LOL*), aside from a few pics (mostly of my table, and and selfies *LOL*)-most of the pics in this blog post is taken by Heru WB photography (check out their profile to see all the stunning pics they took, if you're looking for a photographer for your special moments!).

The event was held at Pool Garden Cafe in Java Paragon, it was already stunningly decorated when we arrived (Cyn and i went together as usual, thankfully even though we're technically late, we weren't really late hehe).

Right after we registered and stepped in, we were ambushed by the MC >.<

And we had a little chit chat. Btw, MC of the day was Citra Permata. She's actually my senior in Uni (we had the same major and there were not that many students there so most of us knew each other) and we interact quite a bit back then, i don't think she remembered me though *LOL*

Took a pic with the young lady behind Azarine, Cella Vanessa ^^

And then we were allowed to go to our seats and get comfortable.

Each guest got a cookie with their name on it (and a booklet with a personalized discount code, i will share it with y'all of course), i immediately feel super special ^^ i just love personalized stuffs! Btw the Eclair was YUM (and you know i don't even like sweets/cakes)

If you haven't heard about Azarine before, it is a local spa products and cosmetic brand (their factory is in Sidoarjo so it's 100% made in Indonesia #proud ). Their philosphy is every woman wants to look beautiful but not everybody has time to constantly go to spas and clinics to take care of their looks-and that's where Azarine comes in. Their products are all easy to use (all catered for DIY), has ranges from head to toe and contains natural ingredients. Azarine products are a solution for modern' women's lifestyle.

To proof how easy it is to use their products and have a spa session at home, they did a little demonstration.

Sorry i have no detailed photos of the demo, it was very hard to see how it goes from my seat, let alone take pics >.< but basically the steps are as follows : body exfoliating, body massage, body mask, body bath and wash, finished with body moisturizing

We also got to try their newest products

Their new C-Serum, obviously i can't say a lot because i only tried a drop on my hand, but it did felt pretty awesome! No stickiness, absorbs easily and makes my skin super soft and supple immediately

Thennn... The fun begins. This event is not like most other events where we only sit around listening to the speakers, we actually got to do stuffs. When we arrived, in each of our seat they already prepared goodie bags. Inside the goodie bag (other than a pre-packed body scrub and body lotion). there's a big black cardboard box. Apparently inside it were the stuffs we needed for the activities!

We're making our own body lotion! Honestly i thought we were making body butter the whole time until i look at the leaflets, but that makes sense since the texture of the thing we made is definitely more of a body lotion than a body butter (i thought i was mad *LOL*)

They already prepared everything. From disposable aprons so that we didn't ruin our (white!!!) clothes to the products. There's a tub with oil (thick, gel like oil, dunno what it is really i ain't no chemist hehe), water and preservative in it. With the little spoon provided, we had to mix them all together

Until they change color. It was totally transparent at first, but as you mix them a while, the color turns opaque!

These are the ingredients. And the gel stuffs were halfway turned in this pic hehe. After they totally turned opaque, we pour in the emulsifier (the white liquid in the little plastic... bag? God, i can't find the right word for that thing!) and stir again until it turns into white lotion

Ta dahhhh.. I was quite excited when mine started to transform, geeking out at max

Selfie with our cute aprons :p

After the body lotion was ready, we were told to go to the back part of the cafe where they already provided various kinds of essences and perfume.

We should only add 5 drops of essential oils in our body lotion and then followed with perfumes

I used the perfume sparingly, but apparently you need to douse it with perfume because i could still smell the basic ingredients (which, to my nose, smelt like plastic >.<) so i kept on coming back to the perfume station >.<

After we finished making the body lotion, we still had a second activity : DIY bath salt! Okay, so even the body lotion is not really making lah coz they already prepared everything and we only had to mainly pour and stir *LOL*, but the bath salt is even simpler hehe.

They already prepared a glass jar in the same box and we only had to pour in the bath salts (they provided two of my fave colors, pink and violet, GYAAAA!!!) to the jar. You can choose one color or alternate the two-i did the latter ofc. They also provided dried flowers to put inside the jar and also ribbons+laces to decorate the jar!

The whole thing was so much fun and different, i totally enjoyed the whole event (even though it was crazy hot and the Air Conditioner didn't help much, my top was sticking to my body due to perspiration by the time we were done *LOL*)! Kudos to Azarine for a very well planned, memorable event!

Like i promised earlier, i have a discount code that you can you in their website, use "MINDY15" and get 15% off your purchase (FYI, their products are already very affordable, prices starts around 30k only!) at www.azarinespa.com ^^.

Thank you Azarine (and Cynthian for hooking me up *wink wink*) for having us, so looking forward for future events with ya :D!

Took pics before scurrying off to the next event. They also did a mannequin challenge, i am quite gutted that we didn't get to join it but i'd hate to be late for the next event!